Weight Loss Programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Weight Loss Programs - Essay Example t quickly, but, as seen in many follow up studies on a diet’s success rate, the long-term results are further weight gain and possible health side effects. In essence, the very word ‘diet’ implies a short-term effort rather than a long-term commitment. In this case, the program that will be discussed today should not be thought of as a diet, but a lifestyle plan that is easy to follow, realistic in its requirements and expectations, and accessible to all people regardless of their income levels. The program is the Zone Diet. This program is in the category of â€Å"right-food-combination† diets that base their eating plan on the belief that, in certain healthy combinations, the body will lose extra fat and return to a health body weight (Nathan & Delahanty, 150). The Zone Diet, created by Dr. Barry Sears, was introduced in 1995. Dr. Sears is a certified biochemist who argues that people gain weight due to unstable blood sugar levels and hormonal imbalances. The type of food and the quantities in which we eat certain foods contribute significantly to these issues. Unlike other low-carbohydrate diets, the Zone Diet is not as restrictive as the Atkin diet that prohibits the consumption of carbohydrates. Our body needs carbohydrates like our cars need gasoline; carbohydrates are the fuel for our bodies that provide us energy. However, what Dr. Sears highlights is that people’s daily diets are too high in carbohydrates, which is causing weight gain. The best example for why we keep gaining weig ht is to compare our high-carbohydrate diets to the high-carbohydrate diets of livestock. Cows fed on a diet rich in grass, food they are meant to eat, stay relatively thin; however, cows fed on a diet rich in carbohydrates, such as corn, become much fatter and in a shorter amount of time (DrSears.com). This example clearly demonstrates that, if consuming the proper foods in the proper quantities, all living things will return to and remain at a health body